Also, the Titans will continue to be short at the defensive tackle position roster-wise as Kevin Vickerson is serving his four-game suspension for violating the league's steroids and banned substances policy. Instead of signing a defensive tackle to the 53-man roster this week, the Titans elected to promote seventh-round draft pick Cary Williams, a cornerback who could help on special teams, to the active roster. There was believed to be some potential interest in Williams by other teams, potentially prompting the timing of his promotion.

Even if Vanden Bosch cannot go, the Titans would still have seven active defensive linemen Sunday at Houston, with DE Dave Ball available to swing inside at tackle on occasion.

PLAYER NOTES

--DE Kyle Vanden Bosch missed a third consecutive day of practice with a groin injury Friday and was ruled out of Sunday's game.

--DT Albert Haynesworth was out of practice a second straight day on Thursday, but is expected to practice on Friday. Haynesworth has been bothered by a sore knee, but should play Sunday in Houston.

--RB LenDale White missed his second consecutive practice as well on Thursday with a sore knee. White could practice on Friday. He has 674 yards rushing this season and said he still has his sights set on reaching 1,000 yards rushing for the second straight season, despite splitting carries with Chris Johnson this season.

--CB Cortland Finnegan returned to the practice field on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's practice with a sore hamstring. The injury is not expected to keep Finnegan from playing Sunday in Houston.

--CB Nick Harper returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday with a sore ankle. He is expected to play against the Texans.

--LB Keith Bulluck, who played through a tear in his rib cartilage and now has 110 consecutive starts in his career, is apparently past the worst of the injury, as he is no longer listed on the team's injury report.

--LT Michael Roos is credited by Stats. Inc. as not allowing any sacks this season, but corrected the stats bureau by saying that he allowed a sack by former teammate Antwan Odom in Week 2 against Cincinnati.

GAME PLAN: The Titans have gone back to what they do best as the stretch run begins -- running the football behind a strong offensive line and the one-two punch of Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

Expect the Titans to continue to use that duo as much as they can against a Texans defense that ranks just 24th against the run.

The Titans need to put themselves in solid down-and-distance situations with the run game to allow Kerry Collins to pick his spots to go downfield with play action. Collins will face an almost entirely new Texans secondary from the first meeting when the Titans won 31-12 Sept. 21 in Nashville. Left cornerback Jacques Reeves is the only Texans starter who started last week that started that game in Week 3.

Defensively, the Titans will try to pressure Matt Schaub into mistakes. In the last meeting, Schaub was intercepted three times by Tennessee.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Titans CB Cortland Finnegan vs. Texans WR Andre Johnson. When healthy, Johnson is as good as any receiver in the league, even if he doesn't get the notoriety. Finnegan, with three interceptions and fresh off handling Cincinnati's Chad Ocho Cinco, can compete with any wideout.

Titans LT Michael Roos vs. Texans RDE Mario Williams. Williams, the former first overall pick in the 2006 draft, will be a tough matchup for Roos, who is quickly developing into one of the AFC's top left tackles. With Vince Young's mobility now giving way to Kerry Collins' pocket presence, Roos and the Tennessee offensive line will have to hold their blocks an extra second or so to buy their quarterback time.

INJURY IMPACT: Despite several players sitting out of Wednesday's practice, the Titans are relatively healthy for a team 13 games into the season. That is one reason they are 12-1. Other than DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Titans should have nearly everyone else at full speed for the Texans. Vanden Bosch will be a game-time decision, and the prudent move would be to sit him with a playoff spot guaranteed and home-field advantage all but inevitable.